Cousins File Suit Against NJ "Housewives" Cast

Campus cop Adolfo Arreola and his lawyer talk about an alleged attack by the members of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast. (Published Monday, June 13, 2011)

A reality TV cast is accused of getting a little too real with a couple of Chicago men.

An officer with the University of Illinois at Chicago and his cousin are suing several members of the cast of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" following a brawl earlier this year in the Dominican Republic.

The officer, Adolfo Arreola, and his cousin, Jason A. Gomez, filed two lawsuits in Miami and New York, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The cousins claim they were at a Punta Cana resort nightclub on Feb. 23 when cast member Teresa Giudice sprayed Arreola's 53-year-old mother-in-law with champagne, according to the newspaper.

The lawsuit states that when he stepped in to confront Giudice, he was attacked by a several cast members including Giudice's husband, Joe, and Albert and Christopher Manzo, who are also featured on the show.

"They just started punching me and beating me up. They threw me on the floor and stepped on my face a couple of times and when I tried to cover my face they broke my wrist," Arreola says.

Arreola claims he suffered a broken arm, eye injuries and assorted cuts and bruises, the Tribune reports. Gomez's says his leg was broken and his MCL torn after he tried to help Arreola.

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Arreola says the hotel's security force and local police were reluctant to help him and claims he was strong-armed into signing a release saying he would not sue, and threatened the "health and well-being" of his family.

"They told me that if I didn't sign the releases that me and my family weren't going to leave the country," Arreola says.

Arreola's lawyer believes there may be video of the incident and is trying to obtain it. The Hard Rock Hotel and Bravo, which airs the reality show, are also named in the lawsuit.